I really enjoyed this so glad I finally got around to it. It was a slow start and took me a while to get into but now can't wait for next book !

The author creates a lush, complex world with a female lead who is multifaceted and worth rooting for. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience and am looking forward to more books in the series.

4 stars - Great beginning to an African-Arabian-inspired Fantasy trilogy

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi hat gotten plenty of buzz online and I was very happy to receiven an e-ARC to have a look at it myself. The story takes place in a vividly imagined society in which the blood colour determines your position in society and also your ability to work blood magic, called "bloodwerk" here. We have basically three castes, those with red blood are the ruling class, the blue-blooded ones are the working class and the slaves have clear blood.
The society is one of great inequality, which of course creates unrest and a wish for change amont the suppressed ones.

The story is told from the perspectives of three young women, each of them having one of the blood colours and a very different outlook on life:
- Sylah has been born with red blood but stolen as a baby by blue-blooded revolutionists and brought up to become a fighter to serve as a weapon for the revolution. She is a chosen one, but one who has very much missed her calling and is now an addict who is barely scraping by.
- Anoor has been born with blue blood but placed into a red-blooded family as a baby (in exchange for stolen Sylah) and therefore has grown up in great privilege, but constantly facing her mother's great disdain who has been forced to raise this inferior child to keep up appearances but is making it very clear that Anoor is not being welcome or loved.
- And Hassa has clear blood and is one of the slaves, called Ghostings. All Ghostings get horribly mutilated as children to prevent any uprising and yet they try to build a silent and invisible resistance to a cruel and injust system.

The lives of these three young women get entangled in different ways that shall not be spoiled here. Suffice to say that the plot is very well paced and our understanding of the world and history of this society progresses very nicely along with what our protagonists learn about it. There are plenty of exciting developments and surprising revelations I did not all see coming. There is wonderful character growth in Anoor who was by far my favourite character. Underneath a spoiled and privileged surface there is a tough core with a reliable moral compass that Anoor slowly uncovers and that is just great fun to read about. She also provides a bit of comic relief from time to time in an otherwise rather bleak world.

There is also some sapphic romance that unofortunately did not really work for me as it did not feel terribly plausible. Hassa was the character we learned least about but who I found incredibly fascinating and would have loved to read more about.

There was one thing that bothered me and that was some seriously fat-shaming comments about Anoor, who once is basically called a blob of lard. What? Then again there are comments about her lovely curves, which are much more consistent within the world-building where having plenty to eat is very much a sign of privilege. However, I do have to wonder if the positive comments about being curvy have been added during the editing step while some of the negative ones have been overlooked?

Still, this is highly recommended and El-Arifi has created enough intrigue for me to want to know how things continue!

I have received an advance review copy via NetGalley from the publisher and voluntarily provide my honest opinion. Thank you very much!

'The Final Strife’ is Saara El-Arifi’s debut, a sweeping epic fantasy inspired by her Ghanaian and Sudanese heritage. The premise is excellent, but it takes a long time to grow into itself, and the initially unlikeable characters make the start especially slow. By the end this is an engaging and enjoyable read, with a solid ending that makes you want to read on – but the work it takes to get there prevents this from hitting its potential heights.

In this world, social status is determined by blood. Red blood equals the elite – Embers, the ruling class, with access to blood magic and control. Blue blood means the workers – Dustings – a poor faction with dreams of resistance. Clear is the blood of the invisible – Ghostings – slaves with no rights, constantly overlooked and oppressed. However, eighteen years ago, a group of Dustings exchanged twelve of their children with Ember children – and now one of those children has come of age. A pity, then, that rather than becoming the fated Chosen One, Sylah has been broken by the death of her family and drifts along, surviving only with the help of drugs, alcohol, and an illegal fighting ring. However, with the return of someone unexpected from her past, Sylah finds herself thrust back into the world of resistance. Can she overcome everything to be what she was intended to be – a saviour?

There are four characters granted a perspective in this book – Sylah, Anoor, Hassa, and Jond – but Sylah is clearly the protagonist. Bitter, worn-down, and deeply addicted to Joba seeds, she’s an extremely difficult character to like. She weilds anger not just as a weapon but as a survival mechanism, leaving her short-sighted and rash. She longs to be more than she is but the thought of putting in the work to get there is anathema. Sylah cares strongly about certain others, and about the rights of the oppressed – but it’s initially difficult to parse out how much of that is true empathy and how much is self-interest. It’s easy to feel sorry for Sylah, but much harder to connect with her. As the story develops, she starts to think more before she acts and allows herself to start to care for others, although she remains a caustic personality. El-Arifi makes a brave narrative choice choosing Sylah for her protagonist, and I’m not entirely convinced it was the best one.

Anoor gets the most page time after Sylah and is very different – although in another life the two characters could have taken each others place. One of the Dusting children left with an Ember family, Anoor has been raised in a life of luxury and privilege – but her family have never allowed her to forget that she is not truly one of them. Caring but self-indulgent, Anoor enjoys good food, fashion, and reading her zines – she’s a dreamer rather than a doer. However, when pushed, Anoor is determined, creative, and incredibly strong. Anoor has the strongest character arc, and despite the initial impression of the pampered princess she’s much easier to connect to than Sylah, providing a welcome addition to the narrative.

Hassa and Jond are given far less page time, although arguably Hassa has the most interesting perspective. A Ghosting, she has led a hard life – but also a fairly invisible one, allowing her to see things hidden from her contemporaries. The relationship between Hassa and Sylah is intriguing, and I hope more time is given to her in the sequel. Jond is never given the time to fully develop, so its difficult to have any opinion on him – I suspect he will play a larger part in later books.

The representation in this book is excellent. Sylah’s sexuality is never labelled but she has sexual relationships with multiple genders. The society has three accepted genders and individuals can identify however they please – Hassa is a trans woman taking hormones, which never impacts on her role in the story at all. Hassa, like all Ghostings, is also disabled and uses sign language. Everything is crafted to be part of the story but not key to it, and its nice seeing such effortless diversity in fantasy.

The plot is strong, using the trope of a training plotline and a competition to elect the new leaders. The first 100-150 pages are exposition, but once the training gets underway this becomes well paced and engaging, with a good balance between trilogy-furthering subplots and the main competition plot of the novel. There’s less fighting than might be expected in a novel about vengeance, but the fight scenes that do feature are well written. The writing in general is gritty and dark in places but suits the story well.

The worldbuilding leaves plenty of unanswered questions for future books, but works. The magic system, again, isn’t utilised as much as might be expected, but has plenty of potential for exploration going forward. There’s a great deal of incentive to read on to get some answers – a key element when writing a trilogy.

Personally, I would have liked a different distribution of character perspectives. The start is too slow and too much time is spent with Sylah, the most challenging character to connect to. This would be an easier and likely more enjoyable read if more early page time was given to Hassa and Anoor. For an epic fantasy, this is on the short side at under 500 pages, so using an extra 50-100 to get that greater reader connection wouldn’t make it too unwieldy. However, other readers will likely appreciate the shorter length and may find the plot engaging enough not to need a likeable protagonist. Those who enjoyed books like ‘The Rage of Dragons‘ should find plenty to love here.

Overall, this is a solid debut with an excellent premise just let down by a slow start. Future installments in the trilogy have plenty to build on to be excellent novels. Recommended for fans of epic fantasy who are happy to wait for the story to unfold.

This is a cracking debut, with a convincingly brutal class system, a subversion of the ‘chosen one’ trope, slow-burn romance and political intrigues.

The worldbuilding was exquisite. Once of my favourite things was the magic - it uses blood runes, but it’s not a dramatic slicing-the-palm blood sacrifice, it’s a well constructed system that includes education stratification (only the highest class learn how to use them) and a sort of functional jewellery that taps into the veins of the hand and allows steady access to blood for writing the runes.

The characters were engaging and complex. Sylah carries the trauma of a brutal childhood, her grief ineffectively managed by the drugs that her addiction to is slowly destroying her body. She is so brittle but so strong. Anoor’s sheltered and privileged but emotionally neglectful upbringing left her determined to do the right thing, although she often doesn’t know what that is. Half the time I just wanted to scoop her into a hug. Their romance was a sweet point in the generally dark atmosphere of this book.

I had previously gotten a few chapters into The Final Strife and then forgotten about it - I'm so glad that I returned to it, and that I stuck it out past what is a slightly uneven starting section. This book takes the first 25% or so to really hit its stride - everything picked up for me the moment Anoor entered the narrative. I'm not usually bothered by protagonists who are closed off and perhaps less likeable, but Anoor was a literal ray of sunshine in comparison. There is a sapphic storyline in this, but it doesn't emerge until much later in the book - I'm hoping it will be explored more as the trilogy unfolds, as I was very invested in it. I was very much less interested in the straight relationship in the earlier sections of the book.
Integral to a fantasy series such as this, the world building here is really interesting - I like the way that extra sections of history or lore are slowly revealed as the plot continues. The plot itself isn't always the most surprising, but the world itself is certainly interesting enough to keep up the intrigue.
I will definitely be picking up the next in this series, and would hope to see the political side of things examined more fully.

Thank you to Harper Collins for sending me an arc in exchange for a review!

The Final Strife is a story we’ve read in many other fantasy and dystopian books. The wealthy live in palaces enjoying a soft and comfortable life, feasting on the labours of those demonised by society. Yet, the world-building is African-Arabic inspired and the atmosphere invoked is uniquely immersive and rooted in culture.

At the top are the red-blooded Embers, then the Dusters, blue-blooded, still treated with contempt, but at least they have a better life than the clear-blooded Ghostings who’s hands and tongues are chopped off by the Embers to keep them subservient.

”Blood is everywhere. It pours from the trees and from the backs of the Dusters who mine them. Even the Ember overseers drip blood, but only from thair whips."

The three perspectives we follow are strong young women, hotheaded and stubborn in their own way in their different wakes of life, each having different colour blood.

This felt like a combination of many different fantasies I have read and I loved the effect! This never felt repetitive or a copy - there were nuances to each character that makes them stand out - addiction, disability, abuse. Not to mention, the story never follows the way you would expect it to.

I would recommend this to fans of Red Queen and Children of Blood and Bone.

I just want to say that I am still processing what this book did to me... Not because I found it particularly emotionally traumatizing, but so much of this read was just okay until we got to the last ten percent or so and suddenly the book was really something that I was interested in.

El-Arifi does a lot of interesting things here. I want to applaud them by using blood magic in a way that felt inventive. I'm sure that out there in the universe exists another book where people use their blood to make runes that do magic, but what I was more impressed with here was story with blood magic present that didn't come off as self harm-y every time the characters went use their magic for something. It was also nice to see queer normative society. As I said, the story that we get at the end is the story that I was interested in, but the bulk of the book had very little to do with that storyline.

In particular, the first part of this book was rough to get through. I wouldn't call anything that happens infodumpy... For the most part El-Arifi utilizes the "the protagonist and the reader learn things together" trope in a successful way. Some of the information does feel like it could have been massaged into the narrative a little better, and maybe in the final version of the book things are. Also the entire subplot of Sylah being a drug addict? I think it's nice to have another drug addict main character in a fantasy world to join the likes of Rin and Lan, but.... here... the self-medicating made them first couple of chapters particularly hard to get through

This is an epic, I have to keep page turning, I don’t want this to end, fantasy book. Isn’t it strange how after a few paragraphs you know a book is going to be good? For me the first words drew me in totally and told me this was book going to be an entertaining brilliant fantasy fiction. And I wasn’t disappointed, until I finished the book. But not to worry as this is a trilogy and the next instalment is sure to come soon! Thank you to Harper Collins publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

A fantastical story with incredible world building, revisiting the genre with a fresh stack of monsters and magicks, this world is like nothing I have read before.
Reminds me of « The throne of the crescent moon » by Saladin Ahmed, but goes beyond it by thoroughly revisiting all the tropes.

The Final Strife is a really good story, with lots of interesting characters. I also enjoy that the narrative skips over some of the boring bits, like waiting between tournaments!

A beautiful story of strength and courage against adversity.

In this world where women, musuwa (a third gender; non-binary) and men hold equal positions, and sexuality is not an issue, there is an a equally cruel inequality- of blood.

Syrah, Hassa and Anoor’s lives are entangled in the desperate fight against the brutal segregation of those of different coloured blood- red, blue or clear. Although they are each of a different colour blood they are ultimately fighting for the same cause.

The world in which this story is set is a rich amalgamation of dystopian post apocalyptic and traditional West Africa- I loved it. I also found the slowly developing relationships and revelations of the past kept me gripped and desperate to read the next book. I am so glad to know it is to be a trilogy!

Many thanks to Saara El-Arifi, Netgalley and Harper Collins for the Arc.

Loved this book ! It took me a while to be in but I can recommend it’s pretty cool.
Love the main character too

A beautiful read, with fantastic story building and character development. I loved the worlds politics, and couldn’t put it down. Such a good read!

This book is incredible! The pacing made the book go by so fast, and the characters are all full of depth. The magic system is very intriguing. I also enjoyed the unique setting, which had influences from cultures not typically depicted in fantasy novels. I highly recommend this book to fans of The Poppy War Trilogy by RF Kuang and The Broken Earth Trilogy by NK Jemisin.

Saara El-Arifi is clearly one of the brightest new voices in the fantasy genre. I can't wait for Book Two in this series, The Battle Drum!

This was really well written. The world building had a good amount of complexity, but it was clearly told so it wasn't confusing. I'm looking forward to the second book and finding out what happens next. I'm particularly intrigued by one thing that came out of nowhere right towards the end! The only thing stopping me from giving it a five star is that it felt really slow throughout and seemed very long generally. I think a faster pace would have helped keep me more engaged and want to keep picking it back up more.

What a masterful debut. This was gorgeous with intricate world building and compelling characters. I was swept away in this breath taking novel - I adored it.

Sometimes new fantasy books don't always hit the mark and are a little disappointing compared to the high praise I've been influenced into thinking about from online reviews. However I went into this with zero expectations, I didn't even know what it was about until I saw the author speak at Cymera, and I loved it! The world and the magic felt familiar yet interesting, I liked that it was a world in which queerness wasn't questioned and accepted, which isn't common in a lot of fantasy so it was refreshing. I liked the dynamic of our main protagonists and how they learned from each other. This was simply an enjoyable new fantasy, whose sequel I am really looking forward to.

A chosen one who DIDN’T save the world
- A cruel and divided Empire
- Friends To Lovers
- LQBTQ+ and DISABILITY rep.

Honestly, I don’t know when I’ll stop talking about this book this is a GOD TIER fantasy read. Everyone once in a while a book feels like it was created for you, this is one of those books. Saara El-Arfifi has become an auto-buy author easily standing alongside Samantha Shannon, Brandon Sanderson and NK Jemisin and that is not something I’d ever say lightly.

This book is just phenomenal. Saara’s world-building will draw you in and transport you into the world she has created. Her characters will make you feel things and her plots will have you hooked.

This book has my heart especially with natural inclusiveness with both lgbtq+ and disability rep. Not only that but we get to see all the characters navigate the world in a their own way.

Expect magic, action, adventure, suspense, romances and a plot that will keep you hooked. All with political intrigue and the promise of change on the horizon. This book both allows pure escapism, whilst highlighting the reality of all kinds of discrimination in our own world.

Honestly, this is one of the best debuts I've read in a long time. Saara is truly a piece of magic that has been brought to life to produce the most fantastic fantasy I've ever read. I am SO excited for the next instalment.
This is an epic fantasy that every fantasy lover needs to read